Fold confiner for bed clothing



Oct 28. 1924 FOL M. E. ROBE ONFINER FOR BED CLOTHIN(` 1 lled April 19 1924 (111111,11111114'Ill'llllllgl lwajn,

@Wmwyw @if Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

MALCOLM E. ROBE, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLD CONFINER FOR BED CLOTHING.

Application filed April 19, 1924. Serial No. 707,564.

To a-ZZ whom it may Concern x Be it known that I, MALCOLM E. ROBE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fold Conliners for Bed Clothing, of which the following is a specification.

The chief object of this invention is to provide simple means whereby a bed maker may confine the turned over portion or back fold formed at the head end of the usual sheet constituting a layer of bed clothing, in such manner that the back fold of the sheet will remia-in folded over` during the occupancy of the bed, and kept in position to cover the head ends of the other layers of the bed clothing and prevent said layers from being soiled by contact with the head of an occupant.

Another objcct is to enable the head ends of all of the layers of the bed clothing to be clamped together, so that the clothing may be thrown back as a unit to air the bed, and subsequently replaced as a unit by the bed maker without liability of change in the relative arrangement of the layers of the clothing.

I attain these objects by the improved confining means hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clasp constituting an element of my improved back fold-contining means.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section showing one of the clasps hereinafter described and clothing layers engaged therewith.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a portion of a maden-p bed, and back fold confining means embodying the invention.

Figure l is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a different arrangement of the frictional padding hereinafter described.

The same 'reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

My invention is embodied in a plurality of independent clasps of which there may be two or more according to the width of the bed, two clasps being sulficient for a single bed` and three being the preferred number fora double bed.

Said clasps are adapted to collectively confine the usual back fold a formed at the head end of the usual sheet a, during the operation of making a bed. The clasps are also adapted to conline together the head ends of the other layers of the bed clothing such as the usual blanket or blankets and the usual quilt. Figure 2 shows the clothing composed of several layers, one of which is the sheet a.. The other layers designated by c may comprise a blanket or blankets and a quilt. The clothing may include any desired number of layers, the inner layer being always the sheet. The operation of forming the back fold a carries the head end of the sheet away from the pillow or pillows Z and over the head ends of the other layers.

Heretofore the head end of the sheet has been left free or unconfned so that it does not adequately protect the head ends of the layers c against Contact with the head of an occupant of the bed, said layers being liable to be soiled by Contact with the oocupants hair etc. It is not customary to frequently wash the layers c, but the sheet, as is well known, is frequently washed, so that soiling of the back fold 0, is not a serious objection. Each clasp comprises a sheet metal strip preferably of hardened resilient sheet steel bent to form an inner arm 12, an outer arm 13, and a curved resilient neck 14 connecting the arms, so that the arms have free. ends which are pressed toward each other by the neck.

The clasp also includes frictional padding secured tothe strip and adapted to contact with bed clothing layers interposed between the free ends of the arms 12 and 13. The padding may be embodied in a tip 16 of soft vulcanized rubber secured to the free end of the outer arm 13i In this instance the tip is slotted to receive the free end of the outer arm, and includes an externally rounded head portion extending across the end of the arm.

Figure t shows the padding embodied in two layers 17 of frictional material secured to the free end portions of the two arms and meeting when the clasp is not in use. The layers 17 may be of soft vulcanized rubber 0r of other frictional material such as suede leather, which may be in the form of a sheath entirely covering the arms and neck. The padding may be cemented or otherwise secured to the strip.

The bed maker, after spreading the clothing flat on the bed, with the head end of the sheet extended beyond the head ends of the layers c, inserts the head ends of the CTL layers c between the arms 12 and 13 until they ab-ut against the neck 14, as shown by Figure 2. The head end of'tlie sheet is then folded out-ward over the necks 14, backward over the arms 18, downward across the free ends of said arms, andforward between the arms, thus forming a Concealed terminal portion which is gripped between the free ends and contacts with the padding, and is prevented by the padding from slipping betweenl thel free ends. The clasps are entirely covered by the clothing and do not touch the occupant of the bed. The clasp is now confined against endwise movement either direction by the bearing of a portion of the back fold a on the neck 14- and by the bearing of another portion on the free end of the outer arm. The layersr of the clothing` aie clamped together with sufcient firmness to enable the bed maker to throw back the clothing, as a unit, to air the bed, and to replace the clothing, as a unit, in making the bed.

The rounded head on the tip 16' coiistituting theJ preferred form of padding, increases the area of frictional surface contacting withl the sheet, and prevents the possibility of injury to the sheet by the relatively sharp end of the arm 13.

The preferred length of each clasp is about seven inches, this being sufficient to maintain a back fold a of the customary width.

Two or more clasps constituting a confining means embodying the invention, may be packed together in a suitable container for sale.

It will now be seen that the back fold a of the usual sheet is confined so that when the bed is in use said back fold proi of the bed clothing,

of bed clothing and a back fold at the head end of Va sheet constituting one of said layers, each clasp comprising a sheet metal strip including an inner' and an outer arm and a resilient neck connecting the arms,-

so that the arms have free ends pressed towardeach other by the neck; and frictional padding secured to the strip and adapte-d to contact with bed clothing portions inter- Y posed between the free ends of the arms, the arrangement being such that the head end portion ofthe sheet may be folded outward over the necks, backward over the outer arms, downward across the free ends of the outer arms, and forward between the armsto form a concealed terminal portion whi'chris gripped between the free ends and is prevented from slipping by said padding, the spaces Vbetween the arms being adapted to receive the head ends of other layers 2. Back fold confining means as specified by claim 1, the saidv padding being embodied Iin a tip of yielding frictional material hav-V MALCOLM E. Roms. 

